The Bizone issued the set of stamps shown above (Mi. #103-05 (Block), Sc. #662-664, #664a) on April 22, 1949, to publicize the Hannover Export Fair. These stamps were watermarked crosses and circles, as were the rest of the commemorative postage stamp issues of 1949.
The three stamps depict Hermann
Hildebrandt Wedigh (d. 1560). The stamp designs feature a portrait from a 1533 painting by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543).
Behind the portrait is a map of the world. At the lower left side of the portrait is a depiction of a Hanseatic trading ship.
Hermann Wedigh was a member of the Wedigh family of Cologne, who were merchants and
members of the Hanseatic trading company in London. Unfortunately, little historical information about Wedigh is available today, other than his being the subject of some of Hans Holbein the Younger's paintings.
The souvenir sheet above sold for 1 DM, with the surtax contributing to the fair.
The two stamps shown above (Mi. #106-07, Sc. #B304-05) were issued May 15, 1949 to publicize the Bicycle Tour of Germany.
The Deutschlandtour, as it was called, a 1,500 Km. race, was first held, as a national event, in 1931. The race was discontinued after 2008, due to allegations of doping problems.
These three stamps shown above (Mi. #108-10, Sc. #B306-08) were issued on August 15, 1949 to
commemorate the 200th Birthday of the famous German writer Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).
His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry, prose and verse dramas, memoirs, an autobiography, literary and aesthetic criticism, treatises on botany and anatomy, and four novels.
In addition, numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than
10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings by him are extant.
The 10
Pf. depicts a portrait of "Goethe in Rome" and the other two
denominations depict portrait paintings by other 18th Century artists.
The surtax amount provided aid for the Reconstruction of the Goethe
House in Frankfurt am Main.
In August 1949,
the Western Allied occupation zones were combined to form the sovereign
nation of the Federal Republic of Germany. The British, American, and
French zone stamps were replaced by those of West Germany, though many
of the Allied occupation issues remained valid for postal use as late as
1951.
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Bizone - General Issues - 1949